Benzene News

A serious benzene contamination of a river just north of Denver could spill over into an important northern Colorado water source. Benzene levels in Sand Creek—which feeds into the South Platte River, a major source of drinking and agriculture water for northeastern Colorado—reached 400 times the accepted levels. More »

A Nigerian tribal king has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Royal Dutch Shell, alleging the company is responsible for exposing his people to benzene and polluting the tribe’s land. King Emere Godwin Bebe Okpabi filed the lawsuit on behalf of the tribe, who he says have been exposed to benzene as a result of the company’s oil extraction practices. More »

An Illinois man has filed a benzene exposure lawsuit against two oil companies. Jack Brown of Roxana claims he contracted acute lymphocytic leukemia from benzene released by Shell Oil Co. and BP Amoco refineries. More »

A class action lawsuit alleges a 1986 benzene spill outside of Roxana, Illinois has compromised the value of property in the city. The lawsuit alleges Shell Oil Co. and BP Products failed to clean up or address the toxic spill for more than 20 years. More »

A new study published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has found a direct correlation between occupational exposure to benzene and certain subtypes of lymphoma. The study concludes that benzene exposure may increase the risk of multiple myeloma, acute lymphocytic leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. More »

More than 3,400 Texas City residents have signed on to a $10 billion class action benzene lawsuit against BP. The company’s Texas City refinery released hundreds of thousands of pounds of chemicals into the air for more than a month — including 17,000 pounds of toxic benzene. More »

A grand jury in Kentucky has delivered a federal indictment against a New Orleans barge company and three of its employees for allegedly leaking thousands of barrels of a toxic chemical into the Mississippi River. The Canal Barge Co. and the three employees could face hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and, in the case of the workers, up to 12 years in prison if convicted.

An Oklahoma couple has filed a benzene lawsuit in Illinois against 80 corporations. John and Edith Jones allege that negligence on the part of these corporations caused him to develop leukemia from benzene exposure he suffered while on the job. The couple is seeking $800,000 in punitive damages.

High levels of the carcinogen benzene and another gasoline additives have been detected by health officials in the ground water near a gas station in Monrovia, Maryland. Although there is no evidence so far to suggest that the contamination has spread beyond the site, officials with the Frederick County Health Department say that all property owners within a half mile of the Green Valley Citgo station will be notified of the test results.

Under legal pressure, the Environmental Protection Agency has ordered that toxic fumes from gasoline, motor vehicles and fuel containers be significantly reduced between 2009 and 2011. New rules are supposed to lower toxic emissions of benzene and other pollutants by 80% in the next two decades. Benzene, a highly toxic pollutant, is known to cause acute myelogenous leukemia.